A group of ten friends had gathered on Thanksgiving Day, at my home, in the later part of the evening. The turkey had already been eaten for hours, the dishes washed, and the left overs sent to new homes with guests. It was time for some Hot Chocolate. My hot chocolate is made from special ingredients and LOVE, the secret ingredient. I don’t mean to toot my own horn but I have seen people fight over it. It never fails. I grab every single mug in my cupboard, all of them different. Some of them I admit are not so pretty, but that little fact never changes the deliciousness of the hot chocolate. Every time my friends and I gather for Hot Chocolate though, I put the mugs out and everyone seems to scan them. I close my eyes and I just hope they do not see the one with the small chip on top. I did notice that everyone does seem to go for the prettier, newer mugs first. This leaves me with my favorite chipped cup. I close my eyes with each sip to relish in the sweetness of the chocolate and the subtle heat of the chili. I smile and look around at my friends and they each seem to be checking out each others mugs. Weird. But hey you love your friends anyways, right? Wait, are those two arguing over what mug they have? SMH, for the love of Hot Chocolate. Guys your cups have the same thing inside, yes, so drink!

When Father Ian’s friends came over for his famous Hot Chocolate on Thanksgiving Day, he noticed that his friends seemed to be more interested in the mugs they were brought out in then that actual hot chocolate. Two of his friends even fought over who saw the prettier mug first. He explained that Hot Chocolate in this story is really Life. We are given this beautiful thing called life, but we do not enjoy the richness of the flavors. We do not savor the subtle hints of LOVE. We scan the mug. We get distracted with our jobs, with what clothes we wear, with what we drive and with what our other friends have. Are you shaking your head, not me?

It’s human nature to sometimes feel superior or inadequate when we compare ourselves to others. When we look around to see what mug our friends are drinking out of, it seems to change our perspective. BUT, we are all drinking the same thing. It is easy to become distracted. It requires a lot of self love and appreciation of YOURSELF and LIFE to be truly happy with what you have and to be happy for OTHERS. Father Ian’s favorite cup was the chipped cup, but he was still able to relish the dreamy taste of the hot chocolate. He reminded me that Saturday, at the RCIA Congress meeting, that I need to just enjoy hot chocolate and stop getting distracted by my mug. If you are already doing that, YAY! Please share some words of wisdom below in the comments.

I’ll leave you with today’s Second Reading.

Rv 1:5-8 [The Alpha and the Omega]

By the shedding of his blood, Jesus has made us a royal nation of priests to serve God. The Lord God is the Alpha and Omega – the beginning and the end. He is Almighty.

A reading from the Book of Revelation

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kindgdom, priests for his God and the Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen.

Behold, he is coming amid the clouds,and every eye will see him,even those who pierced him.All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes Amen.

“I am the Alpha and the Omega, ” says the Lord God, “the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty.”

-The word of the Lord.-Thanks be to God.

Let it marinate.

Until then,

*The story of Hot Chocolate has been modified slightly as I did not take exact notes of the story line.

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Yes! I have been guilty of this many times myself. Actually, if I’m being honest, I’m STILL guilty of this. It’s true, though, we can’t base our desires on what we SEE other folks have. Who knows what’s going on inside. From a positive perspective, though, just because we might not look all new and shiny outside doesn’t mean we’re a mess. We’re all made new in Christ anyway.

Me to, but I have learned to turn it into gratitude; like you say, you have no idea what they did to get what they have, and I may not wish to go that same route. We are made new in Christ! Thanks for sharing Brandi!

This is a very beautiful way to look at it! It can sometimes be so easy to lose focus by making comparisons to others. It is always best to remember that at the end of the day, everyone is the same, no matter the outward appearance. Thanks for sharing!

You are absolutely right, no matter what the outweard appearance we are all the same. How sweeter is life when we appreciate what we have instead of complaining about the things we do not. We are blessed in so many ways! Thanks for stopping by MelisaSource!

Yes, it is different to stop and admire, than to spend time and energy wondering why that one’s cup looks nicer. We are all blessed with so many things in this life, we should never lose sight of that! Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts today!

Yes, lol I am easily distracted and funny enough I have a ton of mugs that I collected when I was younger that are now in storage; I might have a hot chocolate party and do a little social experiment Thanks for stopping by Chasing Joy!

I.absolutely.love.this! Like someone already mentioned: the idea is so simple but SO profound. It really just puts life into perspective. It’s definitely something most of us struggle with daily. So I know I will continue to make a conscious effort to just enjoy what’s in the mug. Thanks for sharing.

Yes, I am with you Christine. I heard that message loud and clear and just in time. I’m focused on what’s in my mug and not what my mug looks like, and its saving me a ton of money Thanks for stopping by and sharing with us!

It really is easy to get caught up in the mug. I think I heard this story right on time. I was spending a lot of money buying things I didn’t really NEED, and I’ve curbed my wantings craving! Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us Meredith!